Mach082, thanks but I don't understand why the lockout is from Monday, yet flights are obviously (confirmed, people are being virtually being kicked off flights this afternoon) being cancelled now. Why not say it's being grounded now? This is absolutely bizarre.
It's because the management of the company believe that Qantas staff, although entrusted with multi hundred million dollar machines and thousands of lives daily, they can't be trusted to act professionally when they know they will be locked out.
The management have to protect the assets in case they need to be liquidated - or so their theory would seem to go.